The End of an Era: The Scientist Publishes it's 10th (and final) "Best Places to Work:Postdocs" Survey

After 10 years of giving voice to the workforce concerns of postdocs, The Scientist is calling it quits.  (This year, the Whitehead Institute for Biomedical Research has set the standard of excellence.) Their claim is that a lot has changed since the first survey was taken in 2003. Most significantly, institutions take the compensation, quality of life, institutional support and mentoring concerns of postdocs far more seriously.  The author acknowledges that many issues, like the lack of tenure track positions, "continue to stress the postdoctoral researcher," so they are not turning their back on the postdoctoral research community. It is just that addressing the basic financial and workplace needs of postdocs, the motivation for this survey, appears to be of less concern.  Hopefully, the end of this survey and the publication of its results will not mark the end of an era--one where adequate consideration is given to the treatment of postdocs. 

This year's top ten (the top 25 are listed here):

In my next post, I'll review From Ph.D. to Professoriate: The Role of the Institution in Fostering the Advancement of Postdoc Women.